An Ill-Fated Order of Happenings
(Lindsay's POV) I always admired the stained glass windows that decorated the cathedral-like building of Pheasant's Eye's guild hall. My particular favorite was the Knight of Equilibrium that shimmered over the Master's throne, a black armored warrior only armed with a set of silver scales. I painted my own mural of him that now hangs in my tattoo shop, but nothing could ever compare to the beauty of the colors that surrounded the dark figure, a rainbow gleaming onto the marble floors. That was the first sight I remember seeing with my parents, but the last time was less appealing. Rain poured down the windows as my fourteen-year-old self said goodbye for the last time to the people who loved me. There was no rainbow, but I swear the knight seemed to cry as much as they did. "Why? Why do you wish to leave us, my child? You have never needed nor wanted for anything, no one has ever looked down on you, and you are already rising in power amongst Pheasant's Eye. Have I failed you as a mother? Did I do something to displease you? Tell me, sweetie please, tell me what I can do!" My mother wailed as she fell to her knees and grasped my hands. Her own trembled and the pale flesh had small smears of black from where she wiped at the tears clinging to her makeup. Her eyelashes were wet and minuscule drops hung between them while fresh tears streamed down her face. She was still the most beautiful person, my mother, with her coal colored hair and bottle green eyes that I envied in my elementary days. Those eyes did not ring with red when saddened and only wavered for the first time I had ever seen due to my own hand. "What can I do Lindsay? What can I do to keep my only child, who I love more than anything in this world, by me?" I bite my lip and hold my head high as I choke out, "There's nothing you could do mom... it's never been anything you've done. I just can't see things the way you do. I think there's a reason that legal guilds exist as well and a reason that we coexist with them most of the time. But I want to see the world, travel to all these places I've only seen in picture so that I may paint them from fleeting memories. I want to experience them for myself so that when I recreate them later, they are still as vivid as they were when I looked the first time. I want to go to the Art Institute and not have people look at me in fear because when I go home, it's to a place that has killed more people than they could imagine. I love you Mom, but I want to find my own name in my own way." I sink down next to her and just like always, we sink into each others hugs. Just like always, my father shakes his head with a small smile at the weird bond we share. "Trisha, it's time we let the boy experience the world he has created an image of in his mind. He may be leaving home, but he will never leave our hearts. Lindsay there are four things you need to know about being a man. First, don't talk bigger than the size of the bruises you can make. Second, if someone sneers at you for showing emotion, punch them until they cry. Third, always have three people you can rely on and share the weight of your world with. You can't imagine how lonely you'd get, even if you're used to being alone. And finally, always, always remember that your mother and I love you." My dad says, tactical and without wasting words, but still vibrating with all the emotion he feels. Still, I can see the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes behind his glasses. "Whenever you swing Azrael, remember that you wield our strength and love for you with it." TBC.... I've always seen Josephine as my best friend and I would do whatever it takes to defend her. She's one of the most beautiful people I've met, both inside and out. The freckles she has spattered across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones is always accompanied by various paint splatters and charcoal smudges, but that doesn't detract from her smile. This girl's smile has power. I'm not joking, I'm not a very trusting person, but on my first day here she established herself as my best friend. The first interaction we had was her complimenting my ear cuff and me half mumbling, half stammering a thank you. Nevertheless, she beamed like I told her she just won Miss Fiore and proceeded to appoint herself as my tour guide and from then on I saw her more and more often until I realized I had just gotten used to her being around. TBC... I can't say I was too fond of her boyfriend though, the man being an absolute imbecile, but his wide stature and hard muscles silenced any who might get in his ways. Like me, he specialized in metal working, but also stone carving and had a musical hold within the school as well, playing a few instruments as well as being a decent singer. Josephine tried convincing me to join the music program as well, but I refused to spend more time around her brutish other than strictly necessary. From the stories Joey has told me he was once quite charming as opposed to the rude Neanderthal he appears to be today. Some days I see her show up with various bruises that her long sleeves, in the summer days, are just a bit too short to cover. The night she showed up to my dorm crying and with a ripped sweater revealing the multiple discolored patches in a range of freshness, I swear my body's systems stopped. This sweet girl who has many times made sure other class members haven't forgotten to eat during crunch time, who helped stitch up my arm when my metal sculpture toppled onto me before I could stop it, who would gladly endure hours of after school work to help the professors categorize and alphabetize the gigantic structures other students had created. I would have killed him then, murdered the boy who harmed the sweet angel I held as she wept, until she whispered the words that stopped my heart once more. "Lind I-I think I might be preg-pregnant." The shaking was now emitted from us both, one in sadness and the other in anger. I must have been mumbling the death threats ricochetting through my mind because Joey panicked, assuring, "He didn't rape me Lind, it was consensual... I knew what I was getting into, but I thought we would be safe enough and it was only once and when I told him tonight he got angry and assumed I slept with another guy, but I would never Lind, I would never-" She dissolved into another sobbing fit and I wrapped my arms around her, sitting on my bed and gently rocking back and forth. My fingers traced soft patterns over her back until her sobbing became arbitrary hiccups that then melted into slow, rhythmic breathing. She wasn't asleep, but her demeanor was calm and thoughtful now. After a silent spell she asked, "Can I stay here for the night? If he's still drunk I don't want him to find me, especially if there could be a child inside me." TBC...